OROVILLE, WASHINGTON

What makes a town?  Is it the street layout, the buildings, or is it mainly the people and their spirit?  A town is a community and only people make that.  And what makes the people what they are?.... a shared awareness and memory of the roots.

Like so many pioneer towns Oroville has been through many cycles of good times and bad.  Oroville began as a service point for the gold miners, graduated to being a railroad town, and has since serviced cattle ranches, farms, and orchards bearing many different fruits.  Yet unlike many pioneer towns Oroville has never 'picked up stakes and left' when times were bad.  Tenacity and determination are two prominent characteristics of the townsfolk.

Hiram F. (Okanogan) Smith in the late 1850’s became Okanogan County’s first white settler. For years his lonely trading post was a welcome sight to travelers. In 1857, Smith planted 1200 small apple trees carried by snowshoe and packhorse from Hope, B.C. They were the beginning of the Washington State apple industry.

The coming of the railroad can be said to be the real start of Oroville, originally Oro (gold), founded in 1866. The Great Northern literally put Oroville on the map at a junction of east-west and north-south travel destinations.  In the heyday of the railroad, Oroville was a major travel and shipping node for the inland northwest and Canada.  The memory of that can still be felt here and the collapse of the railroad services did not deter the townsfolk.  Our Train Depot Museum stands as a symbol for that era in Oroville's history.

Oroville, a border town, is also a Port of Entry located on US Highway 97.  That has given the folk a more than usual contact with foreign nationals.  Many stories are told and remembered about past experiences with the border.  One of the first customs offices for the border crossing east of the Cascades was established on the east side of Lake Osoyoos and subsequently relocated to the west side north of what was then Oro, and in the center of what is now downtown Oroville.  The MacDonald log cabin is indeed that second office, built on its present site in 1882 and continuously occupied as a residence until the late 1990's.

The past includes Molson, which was an active railroad hub. Today we can look at its history at  the Ghost Town and the Old School House Museum in the Okanogan Highlands.

Agriculture was and is a major contribution to the economy of our community with apple and wine grape production being the main product. Some forest products, beef production, wheat farming and tourism were and are secondary commodities even today.

Located just short of the 49th parallel, one would think that our climate would be rather “arctic.” However, we are in a high desert area where summers are warm, dry and very sunny, with temperatures ranging in the upper 80s and lower 90s during the day and down to the 50s or 60s at night. Maximum temperatures exceed 100 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) during the warmest days. The growing season is usually about 165 days from March through October. The average winter temperatures range from 25 to 35 degrees during the day and from 15 to 25 degrees at night. Occasional cold snaps bring the low down to below zero, but are short in duration. Annual rainfall is approximately eleven inches per year, with most falling during the winter months.

Oroville is located in the north central part of Okanogan County, Washington, the largest county in size in the state and the third largest in the country.

Oroville has a concentrated population of 1670 with a buying population of approximately 3,000. Oroville has a rather large percentage of senior citizens, American Indians and semi-permanent migrant laborers on fixed or welfare incomes. Consequently, citizens of Oroville have a rather conservative attitude.

Main attractions are an agricultural community with peace and quiet where its residents and visitors can enjoy the likes of Lake Osoyoos, of which one third is located in the United States and the other two thirds in British Columbia, Canada. Just south of Lake Osoyoos is the confluence of the Okanogan and Similkameen Rivers. It is reported that there are over forty lakes within a ten mile radius of Oroville.

Our closest geographic neighbors are in Osoyoos, BC Canada, just six miles to the north, in the southern sector of the Okanagan Valley Region. The county seat, Okanogan is 45 miles to the south and Wenatchee 140 miles south also on US Highway 97.

Because of our rural nature our area provides an opportunity for adventure and as a get-a-way from the big city. Recreational opportunities abound along with a quiet rural lifestyle. We have many lakes that provide fishing, boating, tubing, water skiing and sailing. There are facilities for horseback riding, hiking and biking. Hunting, golfing, skiing and snowmobiling are also available.

The variety of things to do and activities to attend is endless. A cultural Center is located in Omak just 40 miles south. Add the Okanogan County Fair, the Stampede and World Famous Suicide Races.

We have an art gallery, gift shops and restaurants of all culinary delights.

People come from all over the country to witness our Northwest Ice Fishing Festival on Sidley Lake over President's weekend in February; the May Festival over Mother's Day weekend; the Harley-Davidson riders' Run to the Border on the 3rd weekend in May; the Culpepper and Merriweather circus on June 8th; The CAN-AM hydroplane races, July 21-22nd and fireworks over the 4th of July; the Northwest (gold) Miners Rally and Heritage Days the third weekend in August, and the Rendezvous Blues Festival over Labor Day weekend.

We are the Inland Gateway to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC, Canada. With our international proximity, we are in The heart of the Via 97 Corridor Click here!  which ranges from Vernon, B.C. to  Leavenworth, Washington, all on Highway 97.

And we are the Northern Gateway to the Okanogan Trails Scenic Byway.  Click here!

We are also on the Greater Columbia Water Trails Corridor and the Pacific Northwest Trail.

Remember, it is not what you can see or do here. It is the people and we all welcome you to come and check us out soon.                                               

For more information call (509) 476-2739 or Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it